Sarada No Gomae - Salad with Roasted Sesame Dressing

As an Indonesian, gado-gado is my favorite salad. The combination of crunchy vegetables, boiled potatoes, and hard-boiled eggs doused in a slightly spicy, tangy, and creamy peanut dressing is a match made in heaven.

Based on my love for the gado-gado peanut dressing, it is understandable that my love for Japanese roasted sesame dressing is immediate and life-long. It was love at first bite!

Even though it is easy to grab a bottle of Japanese roasted sesame salad dressing from just about any grocery store, I still love making this dressing at home using common pantry ingredients.

Ingredients for Japanese sesame salad dressing

• white sesame seeds
• mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie mayonnaise
• rice vinegar
• soy sauce, use Japanese brand soy sauce like Kikkoman
• honey

The key to a delicious roasted sesame dressing is freshly toasted sesame seeds. Toasting sesame seeds right before making the dressing is super important, especially if you want the dressing to be extra fragrant and nutty.

You can buy roasted sesame seeds, but unless you plan on using the whole bottle in a short period of time, the seeds will lose their toastiness level over time.

Because of that, I recommend buying regular white sesame seeds and toast them as needed to ensure that each serving of the sesame dressing is as nutty and as delicious as possible.

How to toast/roast sesame seeds

1. On a stovetop

Add sesame seeds into a frying pan and spread into a single layer. Set the heat to medium and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

Turn off the heat once the seeds vibrate and turn golden brown. Remove the seeds from the pan and allow to cool.

2. In an oven

Preheat the oven to 180C(350F). Place sesame seeds on a baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Roast the sesame seeds in the oven for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.

Remove the seeds from the oven once they are fragrant and have turned golden brown. Allow to cool before using.

3. In a microwave

Place sesame seeds in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds to check for the golden brown color.

Since each microwave has a different power setting, please check for doneness based on the fragrance and color. Your microwave may need to cook the seeds longer or shorter depending on its wattage.

Making the sesame salad dressing

Use a mortar and a pestle to grind toasted sesame seeds into powder. Alternatively, you can use a spice attachment for your blender.

If you love crunching on sesame seeds in your salad dressing, you can stop grinding before the seeds turn to powder.

Alternatively, grind the three tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds to powder, and then add 1/2 tablespoon of whole toasted sesame seeds when you make the dressing.

Place mayonnaise, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and the toasted sesame seeds powder into a bowl. Whisk until smooth, homogenous, and creamy. Optionally, add some whole toasted sesame seeds and mix well.

What goes in the salad?

This sesame dressing is so good on just about anything. You can treat it as a vegetable dip, and I promise you will eat way more vegetables than you plan for. :)

But since this is a recipe blog, I will give you my go-to combination whenever I crave a salad with sesame dressing: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, blanched green beans, Japanese cucumber, and hard-boiled eggs.

I have also served this lovely roasted sesame dressing with avocados, blanched broccoli florets, julienned carrots, fried tofu cubes, daikon leaves, and shredded shiso leaves.

Cut or tear the vegetables and hard-boiled eggs into bite-size pieces and arrange them into individual salad bowls. Separate the dressing into another bowl. Let each person add the dressing before enjoying their salad.